Rick Santorum Calls Barack Obama A “Government N*gger”

S.C. mother sentenced to 35 years for killing 2 sons

A South Carolina mother has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for killing her two young sons, then putting them in her car and staging a crash into a river.

Funeral Director Contradicts Zimmerman

The funeral director who prepared Trayvon Martin’s body said Friday there was “no physical signs like there had been a scuffle” on the teenager—a key part of George Zimmerman’s claim that he shot and killed Trayvon in self-defense. “The hands—I didn’t see any knuckles, bruises or what have you,” said Richard Kurtz. “And that is something we would have covered up if it would have been there.”

Martin funeral director: No signs of fight on body

Son of Shooting Victim Kenneth Chamberlain Meets with Prosecutors

And this update to a story from Thursday’s broadcast on the case of Kenneth Chamberlain, a 68-year-old African-American Marine veteran fatally shot by White Plains, New York police in his home last year. On Thursday, Chamberlain’s son, Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr., met with Westchester County prosecutors who assured him that a grand jury will hear evidence in the case. Kenneth Chamberlain Junior has called for the prosecution of the officers who killed his father. After the meeting, he criticized police for refusing to release the name of the officer who fired the fatal shots. The police had responded to a false alarm from Chamberlain’s medical alert pendant. The officers broke down Chamberlain’s door, tasered him, and then shot him dead. Speaking to Democracy Now, Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr. described an audio recording from the medical alert system operator that captured the moment the police barged into his father’s home.

Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr.: "You hear him asking them why they’re doing this to him. He says, 'I am a 68-year-old man with a heart condition, why are you doing this to me? I know what you’re going to do, you're going to come in here and kill me.’ You also hear him pleading with the officers again, over and over. At one point, that is when the expletives are used by one of the police officers."

Amy Goodman: "What did they say?"

Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr.: "Where they say, I don’t give a 'F.' And then they use the N-word. And then, as I said, ultimately, they bust down the door."

Killed at Home: White Plains, NY Police Called Out on Medical Alert Shoot Dead Black Veteran, 68

As the Trayvon Martin case draws national attention, we look at another fatal shooting of an African-American male that has received far less scrutiny. Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., a 68-year-old African-American Marine veteran, was fatally shot in November by White Plains, NY, police who responded to a false alarm from his medical alert pendant. The officers broke down Chamberlain’s door, tasered him, and then shot him dead. Audio of the entire incident was recorded by the medical alert device in Chamberlain’s apartment. We’re joined by family attorneys and Chamberlain’s son, Kenneth Chamberlain, Jr., who struggles through tears to recount his father’s final moments, including the way police officers mocked his father’s past as a marine. "For them to look at my father that way, (with) no regard for his life, every morning I think about it," he says. [includes rush transcript]

Justice for Kenneth Chamberlain Sr.

This petition is regarding the upcoming Grand Jury hearing in the case of Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., an unarmed elderly black citizen who was shot to death by the White Plains Police Department. This case not only brings into question the policies and practices of this department; but it is an open question whether it was inevitable, particularly in light of the audio tapes and video tapes witnessed by Mr. Chamberlain’s family members and attorneys where racial slurs and expletives were used before ultimately shooting him twice in the chest and killing him. It is imperative that those tapes be made available to the Grand Jury, and that all other evidence be presented as well. I am concerned that secrecy so far--for example, the names of officers involved have not been released--bodes badly for transparency in this case as it moves forward. Nor am I aware of any public statements about the case from elected officials calling for openness.

Members of Mr. Chamberlain’s family and community--and a much wider circle of people who need to know there is fairness in the criminal justice system--seek reassurance that, no matter what the verdict, the process has been open, honest, and just. We, the undersigned, implore Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore to no longer allow police misconduct, brutality, or criminality to happen in this community and ask that these officers be indicted and charged with murder and civil rights violations.

 On November 19, 2011, at approximately 5 a.m., my father, 68-year-old Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., was at his home located at 135 S. Lexington Avenue in White Plains, New York. He was a 20-year veteran of the Westchester County Department of Corrections, and he proudly served the United States of America as a Marine, receiving an honorable discharge. He stood about 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and he suffered from a heart condition.

His medical alert device sent an alert to his service provider, which placed a call to the City of White Plains Department of Public Safety. In response to the call, police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians went to my father’s home. Once at his house, the police knocked on my father’s door and were verbally greeted by him. He told them that he did not need assistance and that there was no medical emergency. He told them that he did not call them.

Despite being told that there was no need for their services, the police refused to leave and insisted that my father let them into his home.

My father had not committed any crime, and he declined to let them into his home. My father communicated with police at length, and his medical alert service provider advised the White Plains Police Department that they wanted to withdraw their request for medical assistance because there was no emergency.

Despite this information, the police continued to insist that they gain an entry to my father’s apartment.

During the incident, the police banged on my father’s door over and over again, causing him to fear for his life. In fact, my father contacted his medical alert service provider while the police were banging on his door and asked them for help.

He told them that the White Plains Police employees were outside his door and were going to kill him. The medical alert service provider recorded the communications between the police and my father. During the incident, the police were disrespectful to my father and threatened him as he stood in his apartment and told them that he just wanted to be left alone. The police continued to bang on my father’s door for approximately an hour.

During that time they taunted my father, cursed at him, and called him a "nigger." They ultimately broke through his apartment door and forced their way into his apartment, all without his consent. Upon entering his home, and without warning or prior verbal warnings or orders, police immediately used a Taser weapon against my father and attempted to shock him with the Taser’s electricity.

My father was standing approximately six to eight feet away from the officers, and he was wearing nothing but boxer shorts when the police began their assault against him. After using the Taser against my father, everything else is questionable except for the fact that two 40 caliber rounds were fired into my father which resulted in his death. In my opinion my father was murdered!

We are asking the Westchester County D.A. to bring a criminal indictment, and we call on the United States Department of Justice or the New York State Attorney General to prosecute this as a hate crime, since it appears that his killing was motivated by hate.

Randolph McLaughlin, attorney for the family of Kenneth Chamberlain. He is a longtime civil rights attorney. He teaches at Pace Law School.

Mayo Bartlett, attorney for family of Kenneth Chamberlain. He is the former chief of the Bias Crimes Unit of the Westchester County District Attorney’s office and the former chair of the Westchester County Human Rights Commission.

Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., son of Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr

New York State Senate: Suzi Oppenheimer

Parents who fear child may have autism urged to be pushy as early treatment 'crucial'

 

What to do if you win the Mega Millions lottery jackpot

 

Wife shot dead by husband after dog poops in house: police

 A 76-year-old Texas man was charged with murder for shooting his wife and two dogs after one of the animals pooped in the house.

Police arrested Michael Stephen Stolz after a five-hour standoff at the man's home in the Dallas suburb of Lewisville late Tuesday. He was charged with murder in the shooting death of his wife, Bernice Stolz, and remained in the Denton County Jail on Wednesday on a $250,000 bond.

Stolz told officers he shot his 49-year-old wife and the couple's two dogs after the German Shepherd mix defecated on the floor on Saturday, said Lewisville Police Capt. Kevin Deaver. He told officers that he shot the dog, then their other dog, a Rottweiler, then his wife, who was screaming because of the shootings of the dogs, Deaver said.

Obama won’t buy Mega Millions ticket, White House says

President Barack Obama won't be joining the throngs of Americans lining up to buy a Mega Millions ticket, the White House said Thursday as the multi-state lottery's jackpot hit a record estimated $540 million jackpot ($389.8 million if you take the cash option).

But "I'm going to run out and buy one," press secretary Jay Carney lightheartedly told reporters as he wrapped up his daily briefing.

Earlier, at a deli a few blocks from the White House, customers lined up six deep to trade their greenbacks for the salmon-pink tickets, some of which bear the mention "D.C. Lottery Commemorative Ticket" and "I played the world's largest jackpot!"

House approves Paul Ryan budget plan

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a $3.53 trillion budget proposal that would reduce spending by more than $5 trillion over 10 years compared to President Barack Obama's budget recommendations, would overhaul the federal Medicare program, and would reduce taxes and spending on certain programs.

The House voted 228-191 to pass the bill with 10 Republicans opposing it. Democrats unanimously opposed the measure.

[Related: GOP passes Paul Ryan's budget in a familiar fight]

The bill, championed by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is destined for almost sure defeat in the Democrat-led Senate, but its passage in the House will be used by Republicans to contrast the spending priorities of each party.

The projections within the bill are based on the assumption that the federal health care law will be repealed, and while the plan reduces spending, it would still leave federal coffers with a deficit of nearly $800 billion in 2013. The tax code would be changed to reduce the six current tax brackets to just two, with a top rate of 25 percent for high earners and 10 percent for those with lower incomes. The plan would also reduce the corporate tax rate—currently one of the highest in the industrialized world—to 25 percent and eliminate some tax credits and loopholes.

 

Funeral Director: No Signs of Fight or Struggle Present on Trayvon’s Hands

According to funeral director Richard Kurtz of Roy Mizell and Kurtz Funeral Home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin did not have any cuts or bruises on his hands to indicate that he was in a fight with George Zimmerman on the night that the neighborhood watch captain murdered him.
Speaking exclusively to HLN’s Nancy Grace, Kurtz said that when he prepared Martin’s body the only injury that was discernible was a gunshot wound to Martin’s upper-chest area.

Plan Now for Climate-related Disasters Warns U.N. Report

A future on Earth of more extreme weather and rising seas will require better planning for natural disasters to save lives and limit deepening economic losses, the United Nations said on Wednesday in a major report on the effects of climate change.  

The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said all nations will be vulnerable to the expected increase in heat waves, more intense rains and floods and a probable rise in the intensity of droughts.

Aimed largely at policymakers, the report, and an additional summary of its contents, makes clear nations need to act now, because increasingly extreme weather is already a trend.
The need for action has become more acute as a growing human population puts more people and more assets in the path of disaster, raising economic risk, the report said. The report’s title made the point: “Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation.”

Sanford police threaten to arrest reporters

Sanford Police threatened to arrest members of the media who approach or ask questions off the clock.
A press release sent out Wednesday said police would arrest journalists who attempt to make contact with city employees during non-working hours. They asked to not approach, call or email the city employees at home.
Some city staffers have been "followed or approached at their home or in settings outside of working hours," the release said.
"Law enforcement officials will not hesitate to make an arrest for stalking."
However, the Florida statute on stalking does not include language that would provide special protection to city officials or prevent media from asking questions.
Sanford police did not immediately return any calls Wednesday and Thursday morning.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/29/2720590/sanford-police-threaten-to-arrest.html#storylink=cpy

Pope Benedict criticises US trade embargo on Cuba

Pope Benedict XVI has criticised the 50-year-old US trade embargo imposed on Cuba, as he ends a visit to the island. 

The Pope called for greater rights in Cuba, saying he wanted a society in which no-one was denied basic freedoms.

This aim was not helped by economic measures which "unfairly burden" Cuba's people, he said.
Earlier, Pope Benedict met Cuba's revolutionary leader and former president, Fidel Castro, and celebrated Mass in front of vast crowds in Havana.

The Pontiff made his parting comments in the airport in Havana, in the presence of the current president, Raul Castro.

He said all Cubans should be able to share in "forging a society of wide horizons, renewed and reconciled".

Shooter of Florida teen appears uninjured in video

SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - The neighborhood watch volunteer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager in Florida appeared uninjured when he was brought into the police station on the night of the shooting, according to a video released by ABC News on Wednesday.

George Zimmerman told police he shot Trayvon Martin inside a gated community on February 26 in self-defense after Martin attacked him and repeatedly bashed his head into a concrete walkway.

What to do after you hit the Mega Millions jackpot

With a half-billion-dollar multistate lottery jackpot up for grabs, plenty of folks are fantasizing about how to spend the money. But doing it the right way -- protecting your riches, your identity and your sanity -- takes some thought and planning.

Making sure you don't blow the nation's largest-ever lottery jackpot within a few years means some advice is in order before the Mega Millions drawing Friday, especially if you're really, really, really lucky.

More States Retaining Struggling 3rd Graders

Some families in Tulsa, Okla., recently received a brochure that surely grabbed their attention. The title? "Will your child pass third grade?"
Produced by the 15,000-student Union district, the handout explains the state's pending reading requirements for students to advance to the 4th grade. It also outlines what the district is doing to help students read and offers tips for what parents can do at home.
Oklahoma is one of several states that recently adopted new reading policies that—with limited exceptions—call for 3rd graders to be held back if they flunk a state standardized test.

79,000 jobless workers in SC to stop receiving benefits

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Nearly 79,000 unemployed South Carolinians will stop receiving weekly jobless benefits by year's end.
The drop-off is because of 2 things: South Carolina's jobless rate is improving and a new federal law that phases out the federally paid emergency benefits.
State unemployment officials told senators Wednesday their agency is offering job coaching services to the 6,500 residents affected by the jobless rate's improvement to 9.3%. The move made the state's unemployed ineligible for 16 weeks of federally paid extensions - those without a job for between 62 and 78 weeks.

Russell Simmons rips Geraldo’s hoodie apology to Trayvon Martin supporters

Russell Simmons, who called Rivera his longtime friend, promptly ripped the apology.

"Geraldo, your apology is bull----!" Simmons wrote on GlobalGrind.com. "Your apology is nothing but a defense of a racist, backward thing you already said. And I am a yogi, and I generally don't speak like this, but I have to say it like it is. It is a non-apology apology that continues to blame the victim for their appearance."

Venice Sinking More Than Previously Thought

Venice has begun sinking again and is even tilting slightly eastward, new satellite measurements have revealed.

Despite previous studies suggesting the subsidence had levelled off, new research indicates that the lagoon city continues to sink an average of one to two millimeters (0.04 to 0.08 inches) a year. That's more than researchers previously thought.

"It’s a small effect, but it’s important," Yehuda Bock, a research geodesist with Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, in La Jolla, Calif., said.

With the Adriatic rising in the Venetian lagoon at the same rate, the combined effect is a 4mm (0.16 inches) a year increase in sea level. This means that Venice could sink up to 80 mm (3.2 inches) by 2032.

The study, which will be published March 28 in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, also found that the City of Water in northeast Italy is listing one millimeter or two (0.04 to 0.08 inches) eastward per year, meaning that the western part is higher than the rest.

Prior satellite analyses didn’t pick up on the tilt, Bock said.

Mega Millions jackpot now a half-billion dollars

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WIS) After no one picked the winning Mega Millions lottery numbers, the estimated jackpot for Friday night's drawing has hit a record high of $500 million. That is up from $476 million earlier Wednesday.

Tuesday's drawing of the numbers 9, 19, 34, 44, 51 and Mega Ball 24 offered the third largest jackpot in the game's history, but still produced no winner.

According to the Mega Millions website, 47 ticket holders matched the five regular lottery numbers walking away with a cool $250,000. Two of those winners purchased their ticket in North Carolina and South Carolina produced one six-digit winner.

Mega Millions Fever: Tips for Buying Your Lucky Lottery Ticket

The jackpot for the lottery game that's played in 42 states as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Island is an estimated $363 million. Lives will change if a winning number is drawn Tuesday night - or excitement will be stoked to fever-pitch if no winner is drawn and the jackpot increases.

The prize is the third-largest in the game's history. The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won was $390 million in March 2007, according to Mega Millions.

Killer of Florida teen told police he was attacked first

America’s Most Corrupt States

Earlier this week, the Center for Public Integrity released a report detailing the risk of corruption and lack of accountability in all 50 states. The findings of the report should worry anyone who believes state governments are transparent and free of corruption. Of course, no state is without flaws. Unfortunately, nearly every state received a grade that would give residents cause for concern.

Multiple suspensions paint complicated portrait of Trayvon Martin

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/26/2714778/thousands-expected-at-trayvon.html#storylink=cpy

Transcript Call Regarding Trayvon Martin Killing

The Trayvon Martin Killing, Explained

How did a kid armed with Skittles and iced tea get gunned down by an overeager neighborhood watch captain? And will justice be served? (FREQUENT UPDATES.)

This is being continuously updated; click here for the latest. Or read on for a primer.
On the evening of February 26, Trayvon Martin—an unarmed 17-year-old African American student—was confronted, shot, and killed near his home by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Florida. Zimmerman has not been charged with a crime. Since Martin's death and the revelation of more details, the case has drawn national outcry and sparked hot debate over racial tensions, vigilantism, police practices, and gun laws.

Brazil bars Chevron executives from leaving over spill

A federal court in Brazil has issued an order barring 17 executives from U.S. oil giant Chevron and Transocean Ltd. from leaving the country while it mulls criminal charges against them for an oil spill last year.
Among the 17 who were ordered Saturday by a federal judge in Rio de Janeiro to give up their passports is an American: George Buck, the chief operating officer of Chevron's Brazil division.

Who killed Trayvon Martin?

George Zimmerman may have pulled the trigger, but he didn't act alone - he was aided and abetted by Florida's lawmakers.

George Zimmerman was obviously responsible, of course. Nothing hidden there at all, except from the willfully blind police. Zimmerman didn't just murder Trayvon in cold blood, he had tracked him down like dog. The 911 tapes released so far include Zimmerman talking of "suspicious" black men: "These a**holes always get away."

Because the police dispatcher expressly told Zimmerman not to follow Martin, because Neighbourhood Watch guidelines forbid the carrying of guns, as well as the pursuit of suspects - requiring Watchers to call the police to the scene - not to mention the fact that Zimmerman wasn't actually part of a registered Neighborhood Watch group, and was a failed, wannabe cop who'd actually been arrested for attacking a real police officer - because of all that, it is perfectly obvious that Zimmerman's "Neighborhood Watch" activities were nothing but a ruse and a fantasy. Murdering a black teenager had arguably been Zimmerman's underlying (if perhaps unconscious) motive for everything he'd done for at least the past year, if not for wanting to be a cop in the first place.

US could bring hate charge in Fla. teen shooting

MIAMI—The U.S. Justice Department could bring a hate crime charge against the shooter in the killing of black Florida teenager Trayvon Martin if there is sufficient evidence the slaying was motivated by racial bias and not simply a fight that spiraled out of control, legal experts and former prosecutors say.

So far, only one such clue has surfaced publicly against 28-year-old George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who fatally shot the 17-year-old Martin on Feb. 26 in the central Florida town of Sanford. On one of his 911 calls to police that night, Zimmerman muttered something under his breath that some listeners say sounds like a racial slur. Zimmerman's father is white, and his mother is Hispanic.

"It sounds pretty obvious to me," said Donald Tibbs, a Drexel University law professor who has closely studied race, civil rights and criminal procedure. "If that was a racial epithet that preceded the attack on Trayvon Martin, we definitely have a hate crime."

Student shot to death on Mississippi State campus

A student was shot to death at a Mississippi State University residence hall late Saturday night, prompting campus-wide alerts as authorities searched for suspects who fled the scene.

University spokeswoman Maridith Geuder said police received a call about the shooting at Evans Hall around 10 p.m. Saturday. The victim was taken to a hospital where he subsequently died.

Three male suspects fled the building in a blue Crown Victoria. As of early Sunday, no arrests had been made and the campus remained under emergency conditions.

Shortly after the shooting, the university began sending a series of text message alerts to students. Geuder said a team of university officials and police was meeting early Sunday. The team is automatically convened in emergencies under a school policy.

State laws crimp booming growth in home beer brewing

About the only thing Kevin Flynn enjoys more than drinking his home-brewed beer is sharing it with fellow beer club members at festivals and tasting competitions. So Flynn and his buddies were shocked to discover that Wisconsin law prohibits sharing homemade suds anywhere outside the brewer's home.

he law could "pretty much be the end of competitions in Wisconsin," he lamented. "At least legal ones."

An explosion of interest in home brewing is forcing lawmakers across the country to review long-forgotten alcohol laws, some of which date back to Prohibition (1920-1933). Although the old rules have rarely been enforced, beer enthusiasts fear they could criminalize a rapidly growing hobby and kill scores of annual tasting events that bring tourists to small towns and cities.

********************************

At least 17 states have ambiguous laws on whether home brewers can transport beer or wine outside the home, according to the American Homebrewers Association in Boulder, Colo.

The patchwork of rules can be frustrating for hobbyists who would prefer to spend their time exchanging recipes for pale ale or rhapsodizing about varieties of hops, barley and yeast.

Some states — including Georgia and South Carolina— have restrictions similar to Wisconsin's. In Kansas and Minnesota, home brewers can only make beverages for themselves or family members. Other states permit homemade beer and wine to be consumed by guests,

Aretha Franklin celebrates 70th, talks new music

NEW YORK (AP) — Aretha Franklin has a lot more than her 70th birthday to celebrate: She's reuniting with one of her musical mentors, Clive Davis, for a new album.

In an interview at her swanky birthday party on Saturday, Franklin said she and Davis, who helped engineer her comeback in the 1980s, would be working on new music.

"I have re-signed with Clive Davis, so I'm recording with Clive again," said Franklin of the music mogul, who is associated with Sony Music Entertainment.

Franklin said that after Davis' birthday next month, "we're going to sit together and decide what it is we're going to record."

Miami Heat Players Don Hoodies For Trayvon Martin

MIAMI — Dwyane Wade and LeBron James were only a few miles away from Trayvon Martin on Feb. 26, participating in the NBA All-Star game on the night the unarmed black teenager wearing a hooded sweatshirt was shot to death by a neighborhood crime-watch volunteer.

SEE ALSO: Geraldo Rivera Implies Trayvon Martin Responsible For His Death


They never knew the teenager, but on Friday they decided it was time to speak out – as did many others around the NBA.

Wade posted a photo of himself from a previous photo shoot wearing a hooded shirt, otherwise known as a hoodie, to his Twitter and Facebook pages on Friday morning.

A couple hours later, James posted another photo – this one of 13 Heat players, all wearing team-logo hoodies, their heads bowed, their hands stuffed into their pockets. The photo was taken at the team hotel, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called it “a powerful statement.”

“As a father, this hits home,” said Wade, who has 10- and 4-year-old sons.

Oprah in Orangeburg to interview Duley

Oprah visits Orangeburg mother who killed her kids

Small earthquake reported near S.C. coast

Police: 5 people found dead in San Francisco house

APNewsBreak: Tourism spending up $1 billion in SC

Gingrich Calls Obama’s Trayvon Remarks “Disgraceful”

Urban League: DC Is Best City for Black Firms

With the national black unemployment rate hovering at 16 percent, it has been tempting for some job seekers to consider hanging up their own shingle. Believe it or not, some small black business owners are thriving in this precarious economy, and it's all about location, location, location.

This week the National Urban League Policy Institute released a study ranking the top metro areas that are conducive to black-owned businesses and recommends ways to replicate successes. The top ranking goes to the D.C. metropolitan area, second to Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, while the Chicago metropolitan area tied for third place with the Detroit metropolitan area (go here for complete list).

"We found that cities with strong diversity supplier policies and which allow easy access to business-to-business and government contracts were the best environments for black-owned businesses," Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said in a prepared statement. "Not surprisingly, we also found that of the top areas for black-owned businesses, five included cities where the National Urban League operates Entrepreneurship Centers.

23 Other States Have 'Stand Your Ground' Laws, Too

"Stand Your Ground," "Shoot First," "Make My Day" state laws—asserting an expansive right to self-defense—have come into focus after last month's killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
While local prosecutors have not arrested the shooter, George Zimmerman, the case is now being investigated by the Department of Justice and a Florida state attorney. It's not clear whether Florida's self-defense law will be applied in the case. (The police report on the shooting refers to it as an "unnecessary killing to prevent unlawful act.")

Still, in not arresting Zimmerman, local officials have pointed to Florida's wide definition of self-defense. In 2005, Florida became the first state to explicitly expand a person's right to use deadly force for self-defense.

Deadly force is justified if a person is gravely threatened in the home or "any other place where he or she has a right to be."

In Florida, once self-defense is invoked, the burden is on the prosecution to disprove the claim.

Here's a rundown of the states with laws mirroring the one in Florida, where there's no duty to retreat in public places and where, in most cases, self-defense claims have some degree of immunity in court. (The specifics of what kind of immunity, and when the burden of proof lies on the prosecution, vary from state to state.)

Many of the laws were originally advocated as a way to address domestic abuse cases 2014 how could a battered wife retreat if she was attacked in her own home? Such legislation also has been recently pushed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups.
Click on the state to see its law.
Alabama
Arizona
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois (The law does not include a duty to retreat, which courts have interpreted as a right to expansive self-defense.)
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
Montana
Nevada
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Oregon (Also does not include a duty to retreat.)
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Washington (Also does not include a duty to retreat.)
West Virginia

Will higher down payment requirements decrease Black home buying opportunities?

Justifiable Homicide: Black Youth In Peril -Pt. 1

Exposing the 1 Percent: 'Money isn’t speech, corporations aren’t people'

Science and scripture agree, nature's fury on the rise

Obama: "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon"

President Obama spoke out for the first time on Friday about the fatal shooting of an unarmed 17-year-old African-American boy in Florida named Trayvon Martin, calling it a "tragedy."

"I can only imagine what these parents are going through," Mr. Obama said from the White House Rose Garden, "and when I think about this boy, I think about my own kids, and I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this and that everybody pulls together, federal, state and local, to figure out how this tragedy happened."

Mr. Obama said he is glad the Justice Department is investigating the shooting and that Florida Gov. Rick Scott formed a task force in response to the incident as well. The president suggested he was sympathetic to suspicion that the shooting may have been racially motivated.

"You know, if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon," Mr. Obama said.

"All of us have to do some soul-searching to figure out how does something like this happen," he continued.

"And that means that we examine the laws and the context for what happened as well as the specifics of the incident."

Facebook: Password requests 'undermine' privacy

Senator: Ban bosses from asking for Facebook passwords

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74325.html#ixzz1pxJvJLkf

Facebook speaks out against employers asking for passwords

 

Facebook forbids employers from asking job seekers for passwords

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/03/23/facebook-forbids-employers-from-asking-job-seekers-for-passwords/#ixzz1pxKgjaae

 

Bobby Brown's Sister Blames Ray J For Whitney Houston's Cocaine Use

 

NC, SC state line isn't where folks thought it was

93 properties suddenly find themselves in another state

BofA: Families facing foreclosure can rent

Whitney Houston drowned, but how?

Ray J Rep Says He Had No Idea Whitney Houston Was Using Cocaine

Rep for Ray J said he was upset about claims that he was Houston's enabler.

Whitney Houston's family 'saddened' by toxicology report

White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious Like Trayvon Martin! by Michael Skolnik

Read more: http://globalgrind.com/node/828497#ixzz1pwtbhrqg

Trayvon Martin's father: "He saved my life"

Author of "stand your ground" law: George Zimmerman should probably be arrested for killing Trayvon Martin

Michael Jackson’s House For Sale

South Carolina House plan would make poorest pay more in taxes

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/21/2705497/south-carolina-house-plan-would.html#storylink=cpy

South Carolina’s poorest residents would pay more in state income taxes while all others would pay less or no more than they do now, according to a Republican tax plan approved by a House panel Tuesday.

Right now, anyone with taxable income of $2,800 or less pays no state income tax. That covers at least 267,000 of the 2.1 million S.C. taxpayers who file state income tax returns, according to the state Board of Economic Advisors.

But a proposal that lawmakers unanimously approved Tuesday calls on those low-income residents to pay 3 percent of their taxable income to the state. That is an increase of up to $84 for those residents, depending on their taxable income.

Meanwhile, South Carolina taxpayers who now pay 4 percent, 5 percent or 6 percent of their taxable incomes would see their taxes cut to 3 percent, a savings of up to $84. That move would affect at least 185,000 people, according to the board.

State Rep. Tommy Stringer, R-Greenville and the principal author of the tax proposal, said a person with taxable income of $2,800 could make as much as $35,000 a year.

The state’s highest-taxed earners – those with taxable incomes of $14,000 or more – would continue to pay 7 percent. (Taxable income is how much money you make in a year, minus all federal and state tax credits and deductions.)

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/21/2705497/south-carolina-house-plan-would.html#storylink=cpy

Gut Infections Are Growing More Lethal

Gastrointestinal infections are killing more and more people in the United States and have become a particular threat to the elderly, according to new data released last week.

Deaths from the infections more than doubled from 1999 to 2007, to more than 17,000 a year from 7,000 a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. Of those who died, 83 percent were over age 65. 

Two thirds of the deaths were caused by a bacterium, Clostridium difficile, which people often contract in hospitals and nursing homes, particularly when they have been taking antibiotics. The bacteria have grown increasingly virulent and resistant to treatment in recent years.

Ron Paul calls Secret Service protection a ‘form of welfare’

Republican presidential candidate and staunch libertarian Ron Paul says he has rejected protection from the Secret Service because he believes charging taxpayers for his personal security is a “form of welfare.”

“You know, you’re having the taxpayers pay to take care of somebody,” Paul told late night talk show host Jay Leno on Tuesday. “And I’m an ordinary citizen and I would think I should pay for my own protection, and it costs, I think, more than $50,000 a day to protect those individuals.”

“It’s a lot of money,” he added.

The twelve-term congressman, who has decided to not seek re-election, did appear to put some thought into what his codename would have been had he accepted federal protection.

“Bulldog,” he told Leno. “I’d go after the Fed, and all that big spending.”

10 Reasons the Rest of the World Thinks the U.S. Is Nuts

Will You Age Well? 7 Signs to Tell You Now

France shootings suspect says he'll surrender

Updated 4:55 a.m. Eastern
(CBS/AP) TOULOUSE, France - French police officers raided a house in the southern city of Toulouse early Wednesday morning, cornering a suspect in the killing three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi and three paratroopers in three separate attacks.

Interior Minister Claude Gueant, speaking at the scene, said the suspect was "talking a lot about his involvement in the jihadist cause," claiming to be a member of the al Qaeda terror network who wanted to "avenge Palestinian children" and attack French troops for their actions abroad.

The suspect, named by French police as Mohammed Merah, a French national of Algerian origin, told police he would surrender later on Wednesday afternoon, according to Gueant. The Interior Minister said he was "certain" that Merah was the man responsible for the recent spate of shootings.

SC ponders turning buses over to school districts

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/20/2200919/sc-ponders-turning-buses-over.html#storylink=cpy

 The primary sponsor of a bill that would turn over South Carolina's state-run school bus system to local districts is asking opponents to look over his changes to the proposal that he says alleviates concerns the districts will be left with huge costs.
A House panel listened to two hours of testimony Tuesday before Rep. Jim Merrill asked to delay a vote on his bill, which would allow school districts to either run the buses themselves or turn operation and maintenance over to a private firm.
Representatives of several school districts across the state, both in rural and urban areas, came to the subcommittee meeting to oppose the bill or at least ask for more time to discuss their concerns.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/20/2200919/sc-ponders-turning-buses-over.html#storylink=cpy

Lawyer: Girl on phone with Trayvon Martin cuts shooter's self-defense claim

A girl who overheard part of an incident involving Florida teenager Trayvon Martin can help prove he was killed "in cold blood" by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, an attorney for Martin's family said Tuesday.

The girl, who was dating the 17-year-old, "completely blows Zimmerman's absurd self-defense claim out of the water," lawyer Benjamin Crump told reporters.

The girl -- who he said does not wish to be identified -- "connects the dots" about what happened that day when she lays out what she overheard while on the phone with him, he said.

7.4 quake hits Mexico, but apparently spares lives

A powerful earthquake that shook Mexico from its massive capital to its resort-studded southern coast damaged hundreds of homes and sent thousands of panicked people fleeing from swaying office buildings, yet apparently didn't cause a single death.

As of early Wednesday, there were still no reports of deaths from Tuesday's magnitude-7.4 quake centered near the border between the southern states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, even after 10 aftershocks. Interior Secretary Alejandro Poire said Tuesday night that nine people were injured in Oaxaca and two in Mexico City.

Heart-Healthy Chocolate: Dark and Bitter Treat

"The higher the percentage of cocoa, the higher the flavanol content, the higher the antioxidant content and thus we believe the greater positive health benefit," says Washington, D.C., nutritionist Joy Dubost, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a trade group.

'Aspirin Drug Cuts Cancer Deaths By Half'

A daily aspirin tablet costing little more than a penny could prove to be a potent treatment for cancer.

Research has shown for the first time that the drug cuts the risk of cancer spreading around the body by 36%. And deaths due to cancer were reduced by around a half.
Professor Peter Rothwell, of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, said the new finding is highly significant.
He told Sky News: "If you have cancer, your main risk of dying is from that spread rather than from the growth of the cancer itself.
"So if you find a treatment that reduces the spread it has a real potential as an additional treatment for people with cancer."
New cancer drugs typically cost several thousand pounds a month. But a bottle of 100 75mg aspirin tablets can be bought for as little as £1.35.
Professor Rothwell said further trials of aspirin as a treatment for cancer are urgently needed.

Arm blood pressure differences 'predict death risk'

A large difference between the blood pressure in each arm suggests a bigger risk of dying early, researchers claim.

A study of 230 high blood pressure patients found those with big differences in systolic pressure were more likely to die from heart attack, stroke or other causes.

More heart health checks may be needed in those with different readings, says the British Heart Foundation.
Not all medics follow national guidance to measure blood pressure in both arms.

Highlight app may tell others too much about you

 

Why Bilinguals Are Smarter

SPEAKING two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.

UPDATE 1-New Jersey (no kidding) is among best corruption fighters

WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - Despite a well-deserved
reputation for scandals, New Jersey is a mong the state leaders
in the fight ag ainst official corruption, with most states doing
a poor job, according to a wide-ranging study released on
Monday.

Five states received a "B" grade for accountability and
transparency and eight got an "F" in the investigation by the
nonprofit groups Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity
and Public Radio International. No state got an "A."

The 18-month project is the most comprehensive study of
state laws and practices that bolster openness and deter
corruption, the investigators said.

The five states receiving "B" grades were New Jersey,
Connecticut, Washington, California and Nebraska. The eight
failing states were North Dakota, Michigan, South Carolina,

Report: South Carolina government is ripe for corruption

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/19/3500190/report-south-carolina-government.html#storylink=cpy

WASHINGTON — Government is ripe for corruption, according to 50-state assessment.
South Carolina is among the states most ripe for corruption because of government secrecy, weak ethics enforcement, little disclosure of legislators' finances and low accountability for legislative and executive branch members, according to a nationwide analysis to be released today.

The report gives South Carolina failing grades in nine of 14 key categories, with the state faring especially poorly in public access to information and executive accountability.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/19/3500190/report-south-carolina-government.html#storylink=cpy

Wall Street Keys On Landlord Business

Some of the biggest names on Wall Street are lining up to become landlords to cash-strapped Americans by bidding on pools of foreclosed properties being sold by Fannie Mae.

The idea is that the new owners would rent out the homes at first rather than reselling—potentially aiding a housing-market recovery by reducing the number of properties clogging the market. The fact that big-name investors are interested also suggests they anticipate sizable future profits in housing.

Gunman kills four at French Jewish school

Three children among four people shot dead in Toulouse attack described by Nicolas Sarkozy as "national tragedy".

At least four people, including three children, have been killed in a shooting outside a Jewish school in the southwestern French city of Toulouse, officials say.
Monday's incident occurred as children and their parents were arriving at the Ozar Hatorah school, in the northeast of the city, for the start of the school day.
The gunman drove away on a scooter, a national police officer said.

Georgia Rep Wants To Force Women To Carry Stillborn Fetuses…Like Cows Do

In today’s news about more men who want to control women’s bodies, Georgia’s state representative, Terry England, wants to force us to carry stillborn fetuses to term–just like cows and pigs do, he says. Because, you know, women are just like barnyard animals.

Fatal U.S. shooting of black teen stokes anger, raises suspicion

 Tragically, a black male teenager killed by a gunshot is hardly news in America.

So, it was perhaps no surprise that the killing of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old, shot at a close-range by George Zimmerman, a crime-watch volunteer in a gated community in north Orlando, attracted little initial attention.

NetZero's Free Wireless Broadband Service Announced

United Online Inc. announced Monday that it will offer free wireless Internet service under its NetZero brand, the one that started the free dial-up phenomenon in 1998. The company is backing up the plan with TV, print and online advertisements.

Whigham Sources: Raffles Van Exel Responsible For Whitney’s Enquirer Photo

Man Accused Of Taking Casket Picture Of Whitney Speaks Out!

Christians have no right to wear cross at work, says Government

Christians do not have a right to wear a cross or crucifix openly at work, the Government is to argue in a landmark court case.

In a highly significant move, ministers will fight a case at the European Court of Human Rights in which two British women will seek to establish their right to display the cross.

It is the first time that the Government has been forced to state whether it backs the right of Christians to wear the symbol at work.

Caterpillar expanding, creating 80 Sumter County jobs

Project will triple size of hydraulic facility

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/15/2192359/caterpillar-expanding-creating.html#storylink=cpy

Caterpillar said Wednesday it will expand its hydraulic facility in Sumter County.
The $20 million investment is expected to create more than 80 new jobs over two years at the company’s Black River Airport Industrial Park, once the expansion is completed.

Caterpillar’s expansion will nearly triple the facility’s footprint, from 100,000 square feet to 275,000 square feet, according to a release. The facility currently produces small hydraulic cylinders used in a variety of Cat products.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/15/2192359/caterpillar-expanding-creating.html#storylink=cpy

Santorum supports Puerto Rico statehood with English language condition

 Campaigning on this island U.S. territory Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum spoke out in favor of statehood for Puerto Rico but said he also favored requiring it to adopt English as its official language. Puerto Ricans generally speak both Spanish and English.

Throughout the day, the former Pennsylvania senator was asked repeatedly about his position on the territory becoming the 51st state.

"I would support the people of Puerto Rico if they make the decisive decision to move forward with that, I would support it," he told a group of about 50 people at a town hall meeting. "But that's a decision the people of Puerto Rico have to make and so far they've chosen not to make it. And so talk to your friends, and see if you can work that out."

NOAA changes hurricane categories scale

Stronger hurricanes have been given a statistical nudge starting this year. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the Category 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 designation of the tropical cyclones, has been adjusted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Category 3 hurricanes (formerly 111 mph to 130 mph) 111 mph to 129 mph.
Category 4 (131-155 mph) 130 mph to 156 mph.

LinkedIn is a Hacker's Dream Tool

If you use LinkedIn, you've probably told the site where you work, what you do and who you work with. That's a gold mine for hackers, who are increasingly savvy in using that kind of public -- but personal -- information for pinpoint attacks.

It's called "spear phishing," and it paid off last year in two especially high-profile security breaches: a Gmail attack that ensnared several top U.S. government officials and a separate attack on RSA, whose SecurID authentication tokens are used by millions.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/03/14/2192360/noaa-changes-hurricane-categories.html#storylink=cpy

What You Lose When You Sign That Donor Card

Giving away your organs sounds noble, but have doctors blurred the line between life and death?

The Best Natural Foods that Unclog Your Arteries Naturally 84

There are natural ways to unclog your arteries to prevent a heart attack or stroke...

Your arteries are the rivers within your body that continually transport essential nutrients and oxygen from your heart to the rest of your body.

A big part of staying healthy and also keeping your arteries clean and clear is related to your diet and what you eat. There’s no joke in the popular saying that says: “You are what you eat.” It just makes good sense that what you put in your body is what will reflect out in all aspects of your health.